Through the Lens of Time

This episode is pure boredom.

You take a setting like in 'Cube" - a group locked in a room, lethal traps and they have to find a way out.

So far so good, but if legacy characters like Spock and Uhura are part of this group, then you already know they'll survive. For me the whole plot was suspenseless and it was clear that Spock, Uhura, nurse Chapel and La'an won't happen anything. Even the situation in these ancient ruins was an all too well known trope without surprises.

The side plot on the Enterprise about Ensign Gamble and Dr. M'Benga promissed something interesting but developed into some all to well known 'alien possession' that got solved in a rush and guest character Ensign Gamble left the cast as fast as introduced in this show.

Somehow this 'adventure' episode felt like a filler, wasn't that interesting and fresh like the episodes from season 1 and season 2 and was so boring I nearly fell asleep.

Compared with episodes from season 1 and season 2 this fifth episode of season 3 was very poor.

The episode has its moments of drama that is rather boring. I think some of the problem is the writing and delivery just don't fit the content. I do not like the Ortegas character but I'm pretty certain that's by design. I'm surprised that her little brother is even more annoying, unfortunately the actor really isn't very good at the delivery.

With the fifth episode of Season 3, we get our second truly "strange new world" of the season. Yay! And there was much rejoicing.

Through the Lens of Time is my second favorite episode so far, just behind the premiere. It builds on an intriguing premise and, thanks to some clever visual effects, gives us a setting that's both satisfying and puzzling for an away team to investigate.

That's where this episode shines: it leans into the classic Star Trek formula; an away team encountering a mysterious environment, and it does this very well! Even the long-standing TOS "red shirt" trope gets a fresh twist here, and I'm fully on board with it.

Where the episode falters is in the details. The meta, film-within-the-story elements don't land for me; it feels forced rather than clever, and I'm not sure why the writers keep returning to this device throughout the series. Likewise, the time-warp material never gels, coming across more as contrived coincidence than inventive storytelling. Too often, characters are shuffled into place simply because the plot demands it. That kind of backward construction can work if it's either brilliant or if the dialogue is so engaging that science is an afterthought. Here it's neither, leaving the episode as a whole feeling above average, but not as epic as is should.

Five episodes into the third season, I still feel like Strange New Worlds is working with first season level scripts. Fortunately, the talented cast and their on-screen chemistry, combined with consistently strong production values and effects, keep the show afloat. At this stage, though, what the series really needs is a leap in top-tier writing. That's both encouraging, because the potential is there, and a little disappointing, given how far along we are in the show's run.

The best episode of the season and one of the best episodes of the entire series.

After the rather disappointing start to the first half of the season, "Through the Lens of Time" does a really good job of telling a new and exciting story.

First of all, the set design looks incredible, and the way it is integrated into the story keeps the tension high throughout. Individual fates play a very important role, previous events are interestingly integrated into the narrative, and the emotions are strongly conveyed to the viewer. You can feel what is being told here, and how it is being told is essential to the foreground.

The episode feels like the prelude to something even bigger, for which the Gorn were just a small foretaste.

The stakes are raised, the characters interact fluidly with each other, and the narrative is elevated to a higher level, which will hopefully pay off in the coming episodes and perhaps even beyond into the final seasons.

This episode proves the thought that Star Trek: SNW is trying way too hard and going in the wrong direction. They seem to be intent on wasting time with mindless romances rather than explain TOS canon. Once again, there are so many missed opportunities to lay the groundwork for the next series.(the original series) and trying to connect to Star Trek:TNG both with technological innovation and future characters back stories. I'm not giving anything away nor providing spoilers, but they seem to be spinning in celestial mud, unable to see a path laid out in front of them versus trying new things just for the sake of trying them. Some portions of the story are very interesting while others make me turn away and work on household chores.